Rajasthan HC stays arrest of TV journalist Aman Chopra

Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday stayed the arrest of Noida-based journalist Aman Chopra who was booked by the state police over a TV debate on the demolition of a temple by civic authorities in the Alwar district.

Further hearing in the case is now listed for Wednesday before the high court’s Jodhpur bench.

Chopra had already obtained a stay on his arrest from the court’s Jaipur bench in the cases registered against him in Bundi and Alwar districts but faced arrest in connection with a similar FIR filed in Dungarpur.

A Rajasthan Police team had camped in Noida, neighboring Delhi, in a bid to arrest the TV 18 journalist in connection with the third FIR.

Now, Justice Dinesh Mehta has stayed his arrest in connection with the complaint filed against him at Bichhiwada police station in Dungarpur district Krishna Raj Singhal, described as a Congress worker.

Special Public Prosecutor Vinit Jain argued before the court that the petitioner’s apprehension over his arrest was misplaced and pleaded against the stay.

According to Chopra’s counsel, the court said that it would decide the matter after seeing a recording of the programme.

Police said Chopra was booked under Sections 124-A (sedition), 295-A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code, and the Information Technology Act.

The FIRs accused Chopra of giving false details suggesting that the demolition of a temple in Alwar district’s Rajgarh town was carried out by the Rajasthan government in retaliation for the demolitions in Delhi.

While Rajasthan is run by a Congress government, the Rajgarh municipality is controlled by the BJP. The two parties had hurled charges against each other after the demolitions.